The Gift
by Monkey Princess Dead Author
Summary: inspired by O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi"


THE GIFT  
  
By Princess of the Monkeys  
  
~*~  
  
The lights on the tree were a pure white, some brighter than others, and some bigger than others. The ornaments on the tree were big, round, and lush in wonderful colors. And the angel atop the tree, oh you should have seen the angel atop that gorgeous tree. The angel was holding a light, a little white light, and it wore a white dress, its wings seemed to flutter behind it in the breeze from the heater inside.  
  
The woman's eyes were filled with envy. Her stringy blonde hair was up in two buns atop her head, with long locks hanging down. She was wearing a battered jacket, and an old, musty looking hat. She wore torn mittens on her hands and a long dirty scarf around her neck. Her snow boots were filled with holes, and had been taped together a few years before. She looked like a regular at the downtown shelter, but she wasn't.  
  
She lived in an old apartment with her husband. The apartment desperately needed fixing. There were broken windows, broken water pipes, stripping paint, and no power. For Christmas they never had a tree, they never even had a fake tree. Instead, they bought a small wreath, and hung it on the door. It was never much, and it normally only cost them ten dollars or so, but it brought a bit of holiday cheer to her and her husband.  
  
Her husband was a wonderful man, always giving, always working as hard as he could to bring his lovely wife food to eat, and a place to stay. For awhile, he had earned about $37 a week, but then the economy lowered and his pay check was cut, and he only received about $20 a week. His name was Mamoru Chiba, and he tried wonderfully hard to keep his wife, Usagi Chiba happy and safe.  
  
Usagi had been saving up for weeks upon weeks to get him the perfect gift for Christmas. But she had only safe up about ten dollars from the past two weeks. And she still needed to go buy the Christmas dinner, which she was on her way to do.  
  
Now, the couple wasn't poor. No, they were a bit below average, but the two had their own special treasures.  
  
Usagi had a pure, round, and well cut crystal past down from her mother, from her mother's mother. The crystal had a metal clip attached to it, so it could be worn as a necklace. Her mother had worn it as a necklace, but the chain had broken, and they never had the money to fix it.  
  
Mamoru had a golden watch, past down from generation to generation in his family. But the watch had become old, and needed a chain.  
  
As Usagi finished her shopping, she made her way to the watch shop to look at the prices. She looked down at her change, $2.07, not enough for the new chain she wanted. She needed at least $30 more than what she already had.  
  
Then an idea hit her, she need to buy him a Christmas present, she would sell her crystal to pawn shop down the road, and use the money to buy the chain. She ran home, got the crystal, she went to the pawnshop, and sold it for $50. She ran back to the shop and bought him the $34 chain, and went and bought them both new mittens with some of the other money then pocketed the rest. Then she went home and wrapped her present for him.  
  
That night was Christmas Eve. The picture of the tree she saw in the store stuck with her. Oh how she wished she had a tree to put the present under. Instead, she got dead branches from the tree in the front, and made a little bush, and placed her present under it. She smiled to herself, and began to make dinner.  
  
There was a knock on the door, and she ran to get it, she smiled and threw her arms around Mamoru. He smiled and handed her a small package. She smiled and took his battered coat and hung it. She put the package under the misshape tree. They ate dinner, and talked little, but when they finished, they sat down near their tree, and opened each other's gifts. Mamoru opened his first. He held out the chain happily at first, then his face fell.  
  
"I sold my watch to get you this." he held out his package, and she slowly opened it.  
  
Out came a wonderful chain, golden, and thick, truly worthy of her pure crystal. Her eyes seemed to waver. "I sold my crystal to get you this, and these." She pulled out a new pair of mittens for him.  
  
He put them on and smiled slightly. "Thank you."  
  
They hugged, and cried.  
  
~*~  
  
THE GIFT  
  
By Princess of the Monkeys  
  
This was truly inspired by O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi" a wonderful Christmas tale, that many of you might have read. This was a one shot, and if anyone thinks this was much too close to O. Henry's I'm sorry, but there's not much in the story that can be changed. Thank you, and may you all have a very safe and happy Christmas, or whatever. Remember, Christmas is a time to show people how much you love them, such as this couple has.  
  
"Happy Christmas and a Merry New Year"-Saru, the Flying Monkey Who Crashed the Sleigh.  
  
~*~  
  
Review. 


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